#GuestPost Social Media (Twitter)~ a guide for the new writer @TerryTyler4

#GuestPost Social Media (Twitter)~ a guide for the new writer @TerryTyler4

Today I am delighted to be joined by writer Terry Tyler.

Terry has written a post, that while targeted at writers, is in fact full of helpful hints for all who are considering taking the first tentative step towards Twitter or indeed who are unsure of how to get the best out of those very concise 140 characters!!!

I hope you find a new trick here that will help you navigate the many challenges posed by Social Media…

Writers and Social Media (particularly Twitter): a guide for the new writer.

by Terry Tyler

First of all I’d like to say a big thank you to Mairead for inviting me onto her blog. She asked me to write a short piece about writers and social media; I don’t claim to be an expert, but it’s almost solely through Twitter that I’ve developed my readership.

When I started self-publishing five and a half years ago, I’d been active on MySpace and less so on Facebook (which I’ve never been keen on) for some years, but hadn’t tried Twitter. I’ve since found it to be the site I like the most; I’m a bit of an addict!

Here are some dos and don’ts that I hope will be helpful to any new writer who is just starting out, and dipping a tentative toe into the tweeting water.

Most importantly, DO engage with others. No one expects you to say thank you for every follow or retweet, but it’s good to retweet other people, or comment on what they’re posting about, or on their blog posts. Everyone likes to feel that they’re not talking to thin air! Some of my odd comments have resulted in online friendships and new readers..

…but DON’T do the friendly-chat-as-thinly-disguised-sales-pitch thing. I’ve seen it so many times; I start chatting to someone online, and within three exchanges they manage to get the subject round to their book…

DO seek out and follow people who are interested in the subjects you write about. If you write romance, you need to be putting words/phrases like ‘avid reader’ ‘romance’ and ‘good book’ into the search, then clicking on ‘people’; you will then see a lovely big list of tweeters who might be interested in what you do!

but when they follow you back, DON’T bombard them with links. Say hi, if you like, but wait for them to discover your book themselves. They’re following you now; they’ll see your tweets in their feed, and investigate further if they want to. Another good tip is to look at popular writers in your genre, and follow everyone they’ve followed.

DO seek out book bloggers, those wonderful human beings sent from the gods who not only read our books but also write about them, and spread the word—these are people you need to know! There will be some whose reviews you find particularly interesting and who might be amenable to reviewing your book, if you take the time to check their blogs out.

… but DON’T see the magic words ‘book blogger’ and immediately send a tweet asking for a review. This isn’t how it works. All book blogs have submission guidelines, and some might be temporarily closed, or not accept your genre, or only review their own reading choices. I have a book blog, but I’m primarily a writer, so I don’t take submissions; this is stated clearly on the top of the blog. All the same, I get requests for reviews every single week.

DO share good posts from others, either by retweeting or clicking the ‘share’ button; you want to build up a following, not just bang on about your own work all the time. Generosity breeds generosity; if you take an interest in others, they will take an interest in you.

… but DON’T just share everything you see, or every single blog post that appears in your email inbox. Be selective.

DO tweet stuff that isn’t about you and your work. There’s more to you than the book you’ve written, isn’t there? And please DON’T tweet about your word count. No one cares. Honestly.

DON’T get too caught up in social media to the detriment of your writing. The most successful self- and indie press published authors I know do not use social media every day; they’re too busy working on their next best seller. While you’re chatting away on Facebook writers’ groups about your lack of time and motivation, you could be writing the next chapter.

If you have not been involved in social networking before, DO understand that the key word is ‘social’. Facebook, Twitter, etc, are not just free advertising. One of the reasons I don’t do book stuff on Facebook is that I was using the site for years before I started self-publishing, and didn’t want to suddenly start bombarding my friends on there with lots of promotional posts.

DO pin a tweet to the top of your page. This makes it easier for others to retweet you. Change it often, at least once a week. I’ve seen some pinned tweets that have been there since 2015. Surely they have something else to say by now?!

DO give a few details about yourself on your bio, but DON’T include the words ‘buy my books here’ or ‘check out my books’ or anything similar. This makes you look as if you’re on the site only to make sales.

DON’T call yourself an expert, or a best-selling author, or an award winning author, on your bio, if you’re not. Getting to the top of a genre chart for two days three years ago during a special promotion does not make you an ‘Amazon best seller’. Grandiose claims usually have the opposite of the desired effect.

DO take an interest in other writers. I’ve discovered a couple of my favourite authors by clicking on those promotional tweets that flutter by, and then clicking ‘buy’. One of the reasons you’re a writer is that you love books, right? Since using Twitter I’ve made several online friends who I’ve since got together with in person; it’s a great way of meeting like-minded people.

Most of all, DO be genuine. Hang back a bit, until you’ve got used to the site. Think of social media as real life; imagine you’re entering a room filled with strangers. You wouldn’t just walk up to them and start talking about yourself and your work; you’d find points of common interest, ask them about themselves.

And that is, probably, the best piece of advice of all.

Thank you so much Terry for this invaluable information on Social Media that I think everyone can avail of. To find out more helpful tips on Social Media, Terry has written a number of useful posts, which you can check out HERE

Who is Terry Tyler?

I have 13 books on Amazon. I write contemporary fiction: psychological thriller/drama, family and love relationships, a little bit edgy, a little bit dark, always real life. I’m a history addict, love winter and bleak places, countryside and sea…..

Lots of good points here. I find the auto-sms “thank you for the follow, now visit me here, there and everywhere…” particularly irritating. And keeping it “social” is a really good point to always keep in mind!

The other day I got a really long one from a girl suggesting I follow her and subscribe to her on this and that site, and offered the ‘opportunity’ to donate to her something or other. I replied with a suggestion that I offer her one of my kidneys, too. We did a fair bit of back and forth, in which she said I was being rude, but she didn’t get my point that to ask complete strangers to subscribe to you on sites other than the one that they are actually ON, and to donate money, is damn rude in the first place. I gave up, in the end.

An interesting read in view of my recent pronouncement. Terry is one of the people I have actually have had normal friendly interaction with, so happy to confirm she definitely follows her own advice – and it does work. Not sorry to say goodbye to the automated DM’s or count how long it takes between following back and the dreaded – here’s my book when can you read it request.

I’ve just read your article, Jill – and am about to comment on it. Don’t disappear completely! Having been using Twitter on an almost daily basis for over 5 years, I’ve noticed how the people who hit you with ‘buy my book’ ‘RT my promotion’ or ‘review my book’ within a week of you following them, and then never interact or take any interest in anything you post, ever again, do not last long. They quickly give up, claiming that Twitter ‘doesn’t work’ for them. But they never stop to ask why….

Jill I think you will benefit greatly from your break from Twitter. It can get very ‘full-on’. The auto DM is really a huge negative. Terry is fab and her advice is spot on. Twitter is such an animal really and how we control it……as I say #alwayslearning

Yes, along with those people who DM you asking whether you’d like to read their books. (No). I love Twitter and if it wasn’t for the friends I’ve made (Terry and I have actually met!!!) I wouldn’t have sold nearly as many books. Another thing I do is join in the # of my fave programmes…the Archers, PM..you meet like minded people, have a laugh and you’d be surprised how many sudden;y say: Oh, you’re a writer ~ I’m going to try one of your books!

Oh yes, absolutely. That’s happened to me many times over the years. AND I do it, too. I talk to someone, and if I find them amusing/intelligent/entertaining/like-minded, I’ll check out their bio. If they write, I’ll look at their books. The one that sticks in my mind the most is John Privilege. He complained when I’d over-tweeted a free promotion, ages ago, and I apologised (because he had a point). We got chatting. I discovered he’d written a post apocalyptic novel, which is absolutely my favourite genre. I read it, was blown away. Made him submit to Rosie’s team. He gained loads of good reviews, not only for that book but for his next one, too. He once said to me that practically all his sales and reviews were down to me!!!

Terry always gives good advice. Love her books too. I’ve shared quite a few of her helpful tips.
Those DM’s! Hate them. I have ‘No DM’s’ on my profile and still I get them and not just automated ones either. One author sent me a huge DM, but started it off “I’ll be brief…” grrrrr

I think it’s mostly writers/bloggers etc who have never used social media sites before they had something to promote, and don’t understand them – and are also too wrapped up in themselves to consider learning HOW to use it first. I don’t know, it never fails to amaze me how people can actually DM or tweet directly to you, asking you to buy/review their book, etc. How insensitive do you have to be to do that???!! When I first used Twitter I did it so tentatively I practically WHISPERED.

Caryl, the reason you still get the DMs is because they’re automated – you follow the profile, their app sends a DM. They will not have looked at your bio because the sort of people who send these things aren’t interested in looking at the people who follow them!!! Sad but true. It’s like my review blog that says ‘I do not enter into review swaps, do not take submissions and only review my own reading choices’, clearly, on the top. Those who ask me to review have not even bothered to look at it!!!

Having said all this, some indie publishing companies actually advise their authors to send auto DMs, to advertise their work. Yes, really. I couldn’t believe it when someone told me that, either; I usually ignore them but occasionally I give the sender a bit of advice. One girl said, oh dear, really? My publisher told me to do this. Oh yes, and I HATE those ones that say “Okay, this is automated, but I really, sincerely want to connect with you, and I’d love you to take a look at my….” GRRRR!

Yet another excellent blog Mairead. I’m proud to call Terry a writing chum and she talks (and writes) a lot of sense, and is so generous with hints, tips & advice it’s a real delight when she appears and gives the benefit of her wisdom and always in a fun way! X

Yet another excellent blog Mairead. I’m proud to call Terry a writing chum and she talks (and writes) a lot of sense, and is so generous with hints, tips & advice it’s a real delight when she appears and gives the benefit of her wisdom and always in a fun (unsalesy) way! X

Great tips TT. I love Twitter too. I’ve met some of my favourite cyber friends through their posts and linked blogs on Twitter, you included. Actually, the links to the blogs are the best for me as I am addicted to blog reading, so for me, it’s a huge door to a much wider world.. 🙂

I can tell you’re an avid blog reader, Val – you comment so much, puts me to shame; I only manage a few posts a day!

I was saying to my husband last night – the reason I love Twitter is because of the endless links to interesting articles, the information – I even rely on it for news, now. Unlike Facebook, which is so much about self-absorption. It’s like people can’t do anything without ‘facebooking’ it. People even play out bereavement grief on it, it’s so crass!

I love your tips. I’m still getting too many marketing DM’s in my inbox. They definitely turn me off. I often do buy books from reviews linked to on Twitter. I enjoy engaging with other Tweeps, but sometimes it’s hard to find a starting point for that engagement. I normally check out any link before I retweet it. That’s how I found this post.

And I’m delighted you found it too!! Thank you Barbara for taking the time to read Terry’s post and to comment. Twitter, while sometimes daunting holds a wealth of information at our fingertips. I think we will just have to ‘put up’ with those annoying DMs 🙂